Drying apparatus



.Eufly 3, 946. c. E. KOCH DRYING APPARATUS 2, Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 11, 1943 i 5.: Eli

CARL E.KocH

July 23, 1945.

DRYING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1943 2 She ets-Sheet 2 l/ v 227VElwin? C'AEL E. KOCH c. E. KOCH 2,404,732.

Patented July 23, 1946 DRYING APPARATUS Carl E. Koch, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American. Beauty Products 00., Chicago, 111., acorporation of Illinois Application September 11, 1943, Serial No.- 501,925-

1 Claim. 1

The present. invention relates: to improvements in a drying apparatus. More particularly, the invention concerns an improved means for dehydrating moisture laden. drying fluid in a recirculating dryer unit.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a simple and efiective means for removing the moisture from the drying fluid employed. in a recirculating; dryer to speed up the drying operation and to render it more efiicient.

In drying: apparatus. which. depends for the accomplishment of the drying operation upon the continuous recirculation of the same drying medium, the effectiveness of the drying operation is diminished by the absorption of moisture by the medium employed. The present invention contemplates 'a novel means for dehydrating the drying medium so as to render it capable of. absorbing more moisture upon being recirculated.

It is. a further object of. the present invention,. therefore; to provide a method including as one of the steps the passing of the drying fluid over a. tortuous path while it is being treated hygroscopically toremove moisture therefrom.

It is also an. object of the present invention. to provide. means for accomplishing this purpose.

Another and further object of the: invention is to provide an element composed of hygroscopic material of' the class including silica. gel, calciumchloride and other similar desiccating agents over which, the moisture laden. fluid must pass and? which expose: a. maximum surface area of the hygroscopic material. to the fluid.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an element composed of hygroscopic material forthe dehydration of the drying fluid which is easily and readily removed from the dryer for replacement when it has become saturated. with'moisture or for any'other reason that its. replacement may be desirable.

It is a further object of the present invention. to provide an annular element for a dryer unit: comprising aplurality of replaceable segments or unitsof arcuate form each of which possesses the aforementioned attributes and may readily be replaced independent of any of the adjoining segments or unitsf'orming theelement whenever desired.

In accordance with the general features of the along a cascading? and tortuous path adjacent to the drying area and thereafter returning the substantially moisture.- free fluid to the drying area.

In accordance with other features of the present invention there is provided in a dryer unit means for creating, an air stream throughthe drying area and replaceable hygroscopic means enveloping the air stream. and directing it in a substantially tortuous path to remove moisture therefrom before returning the air to the drying area.

In accordance with still further features. of the present invention there is provided as an article of manufacture an element to be inserted in a dryer unit for dehydrating the moisture laden drying fluid, said element. being composed of a hygroscopic material and having a plurality of channels-tor directing the moisture laden fluid therethrough soas to contactthehygroscopic material.

Other objects and features of the present invention. will become apparent from the following. descriptionof one of the. preferred embodiments of the invention as related to a hair dryer unit shownindetail in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents. an elevation of the dryer unit with parts broken away;.- 7

Figure 2 represents a vertical cross-section taken through the deviceillustrated in Figure 1 and having parts broken away to illustrate the path of. travel of the drying medium, in this instance, air, through the: apparatus;

Figure 3 is a partial. section taken. transversely of the apparatus and having parts broken away to illustrate more. clearly the disposition. of the dehydrating element of the present invention;

Figure 4 is av plan viewof. one ofthe. segments forming the dehydrating element. of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a frontal view of the segment illustrated in Figure 4; and V Figure 6 is a. vertical cross-section taken along the line VIVI through the segment illustrated in Figured; V

The method andmeans of the present invention is particularly adapted to application in any conventional form of drying apparatus or the like. The hair dryer illustratedin- Figure 1- and designated generally by the reference character l0 represents aconventional form. of dryer unitsuch as is employed. in the home, beauty parlor or other like establishments for: the care and drying of human hair".

3 The dryer i is illustrated as comprising a hood ll equipped with a guard portion l2 which is adapted to encircle the head of the person employing the dryer for th removal of moisture from the hair, said hood being pivotally mounted upon a base 13 for supporting the same from the floor. The hood l l encloses an electric motor l4 mounted on the back of the insulating member forming a part of the heating element I5 comprising a plurality of resistance coils. The heating element I5 is, in turn, mounted internally of the hood I l.

Electrical current for operating the motor I4 and energizing the electrical resistanc coils of the heating element [5 is supplied by the electrical cables 23 extending out of the hood H and adapted to be connected to any suitable source of electric energy such, for example, as an ordinary convenience outlet. The shaft it of the motor l4 extends through a central aperture in the insulating member-of the heating element l5 'j'a'nd supports thereon a multi-bladed fan [1. The. fan I1 is advantageously of a recirculatory type and comprises a plurality of radially extending long blades is interspersed by an equal number of relatively shorter blades I 9. Disposed adjacent to the guard portion l2 and supported from aplurality of spaced radially extending straps 22 suitably secured to the interior of the hood l I is a deflector 20. The entire outer periphery of the deflector is spaced from the internal surface of the hood II. The deflector 2i] i's-providedwith a centrally disposed aperture 24 adjacent the tapered endof the Substantially frusto-conically shaped portion 25-which extends to a point adjacent the fan H. 'A screen 2i is mou ted in the aperture 24 and suitably securedto the deflector '20, said screen having a plurality of apertures 26 and serving to prevent the possibility of the hair from becoming engaged in the blades 18 and IQ of the fan l'l.

' The bond H is provided on its external surface at a point adjacent the disposition of the deflector 2|] therewithin with a plurality of annula'rlyarranged, substantially oblong apertures'28 which are spaced apart by segments of the hood ll bent inwardly to form substantially springlike elements 2 9. A-single substantially arcuate segment or desiccator composed of a siutable hygroscopic material is adapted to be inserted ineachof the apertures 28 so as to extend into the interior of the hood 1 I. The desiccators so which advantageously take theform illustrated in Figures 4 to '6, inclusive, of the accompanying drawings are held in place and frictionally engaged by the elements 29. 1

' The desiccator units 30; a plurality of which are disposed in annular arrangement'about the entire periphery of the hood ll, comprise a rib portion 3| of substantially arcuate form flanked on the ends. by radially extending wedged-shaped end 'walls 32. Disposed between the'end walls 32 and separated by a plurality. of radially extending grb'oves or channels 33 are a plurality of prongs 34 which present a substantially serrated appearance for the inwardly projecting periphery of the -unit -30 The desiccators 30, as previously indicat edyale inserted between adjacent elements 29 andlfrictionally; engaged thereby so that the prongs 34 thereof extend in substantially radial relation-"with respect to the internal surface of IhllOOd .l L. The sloping surfaces 35 on each of "the prongs 34 of the desiccators 30 contact the outermost surface of the substantially frusto- 4 conically shaped portion 25 of the deflector 20 when in place.

The rib portion 3| of each of the desiccators 30 is provided with an upwardly projecting lug portion 36 in which is formed a suitable aperture 31 Which will permit the insertion of the finger of the operator to aid in grasping each unit to remove it from the aperture 28flwhen it is desired to replace the same. The units 30 which have been employed in the drying of hair so that they have become saturated with moistur are removed from the dryer I0 and subjected to an operation for removing or driving out the moisture collected therein'during the drying operation. This dehydration operation may be accomplished by baking the units 30 at a high temperature or any other suitable procedure may be employed for removing the moisture and rendering the units capable of being employed over again in a subsequent drying operation.

In the operation of theapparatus, the fan I! actuated by the shaft Hi from the electric motor l4 serves to draw the air through the screen -2i and out of the drying chamber 39 formed by the guard portion I2 and the front end of the hood H in which the head of the person whose hair is being-dried is inserted. The fan 11 causes the air withdrawn from the chamber 39 into the fan chamber 4| to pass in a radial direction toward the innermost surface of the hood I I/ and thence outward in the direction 0f-the flarealong the external surface of the. frusto-conical portion 25 of the deflector 20 about the outer peripheryv of said deflector 20 into the chamber 39 in the course indicated generally by. the arrow in Figure 2 of the drawings. 7 I a 1 By reason of the insertion through thehood ll of the desiccator units 39 which extend about and completely encompass the outer surface of the frusto-conical portion 25 of the deflector 20, the air in being recirculatedby the fan'l! along the outer periphery of the deflector 20 is, of necessity, caused to 'come in contact with said units 30; The moist air passes through the slots 33 separating'the prongs 34 of the units 30 and is thereby effectively exposed to contact with hygroscopic material of which the desiccators are'fabricated. This exposure of the moisture laden air in the surfaces of the units 30 results in thewithdrawal of moisture from the air byabsorption of the, moisture bythe hygroscopic material.

The air being discharged by the fan I! in passing radially outwardly from the screen 2 I is substantially uniformly distributed about the entire external surface. of the frusto-coni'cal portion25 vof the deflector 20 and is, therefore, caused to pass substantially uniformly between the radially extending prongs 34 of the several units 30. In so doing, the air laden with moisture is directed over a relatively tortuous and devious path in passing from the, fan chamber 4| back to the drying chamber 39. V r The units '30 are particularly advantageous by reason of the fact. that the several channels 33 formed in the internal arcuate face of the units greatly increase the surface of contact of the material with the air and thereby enable the moisture to be'readily withdrawn'therefrom and absorbed by the hygroscopic material; It will be therewith; j v

It will be apparent that while the present invention has been described with particular reference to a hair drying unit it is equally well adapted to use in any form of dryer employing the principle of recirculation of the drying medium therein. Indeed, the Same principle of operation may even be employed with any fluid which is ladened with an evaporable liquid which it is desired to remove therefrom so as to render the fluid more readily capable of taking up more liquid in the course of the operation in which it is employed, whether it be a drying operation or not.

It will, of course, be understood thatvarious details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a drier assembly having spaced inner and outer walls defining a drying area through which air is circulated for performing a drying operation, means for creating an air stream through the drying area, and a plurality of replaceable hygroscopic means disposed adjacent said drying area, said hygroscopic means being disposed extending through the outer wall and in the path of the air stream and shaped to define with the inner wall a restricted and substantialy tortuous path for the air stream exposing thereto an area of contact in excess of the greatest plane dimension of the means and causing substantially all of the air to come in contact with the hygroscopic means to remove moisture therefrom before returning it to the drying area, and said hygroscopic means each having a grasping portion projecting outwardly of said outer wall for separate removal of said means without disassembly or opening of said drier assembly.

CARL E. KOCH. 

